Ideals of Leadership in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China

Friday 17 February 2017

Both in the Ancient Greco-Roman World and in Ancient China, philosophers of different schools attempted to construct an ideal of a just ruler and a just society. They did so not only by writing treatises and educating future leaders, but even – as Plato and Confucius did – by advising rulers directly. Our purpose in this mini-conference is to examine how philosophers in East and West constructed ideals of political and moral leadership, how they tried to influence those in power, and what we can learn from their political philosophies today.